Ain't Never Had a Friend Like Me
by Nightingale63
Summary: Kurt and Rachel land a gig at Disney World for the summer, despite Kurt's reservations. Mildly AU; Kurt never went to Dalton or met Blaine.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

_For my dear friend Stine_

"Congratulations, Kurt, you're going to be a Cast Member!"

Kurt studied her employee name tag a moment before answering, thinking _I can just hear the superfluous capital letters_. "Thanks, Gina."

She beamed back at him. "Well, right this way for your fittings, now that all the paperwork is done, and we get to the fun part!"

He bobbed his head, then narrowed his eyes as he asked her, "Fittings? Plural?"

She turned around, pausing from the fast walk she had initiated. "Of course! There's the face and the fur fittings, silly. Just about the same, but Wardrobe is very picky. Come on!"

He allowed himself a tiny eye roll as he followed her and wondered if he should kill Rachel tonight or take her out to dinner. True, she'd pointed him towards this gig, but really? This was Florida in summertime, and he was no fan of hot, sticky weather. He frowned as he wondered if the high SPF sunscreens could really protect him from the daily sun exposure, and would they work under character makeup? That, and everyone seemed way too happy. All the time. For (and he looked down at one of the papers he was clutching) a wage no higher than he could make back home in Lima. He found himself nearly jogging as he hurried to keep up with the perky Gina, as she led him through the labyrinth of the building. She was tiny but fast, darting around like a small bird, he mused. He watched as she lifted her left wrist to check the time on a large vintage-looking Minnie Mouse watch.

"We're making good time," she assured him, looking back at him for a moment without slackening her pace.

"Good," he answered, adding quickly, "wouldn't want to keep them waiting."

Gina deposited him in the fittings area of Wardrobe, and he helped himself at the water cooler. He thought back to the phone call he'd gotten just two weeks ago.

"_Kurt, how's your dad doing?"_

_That tone, he'd thought. The one full of concern, pity, hoping for good news, that he'd heard way too much of in the last couple of days. "Carole was right, thank God. I mean yes, it was a heart attack, but it was a minor one, and he went in right away, and got a stent practically minutes after arriving in the ER, and he's okay. The docs say he's going to be all right, and Carole swears she agrees with them."_

"_Are you still sure about the fall?"_

_He'd sighed, then answered her. "Yeah. I mean, NYADA's really expensive, and Carmen Thibodeaux was really good about it, promising that if I chose to come back within a year I could still do that. A little time at home in the state college system, maybe some community theater, wouldn't kill me. And while I'm making up my mind, it's less of a burden to dad."_

"_I might be joining you in Ohio," she said, "but first how about a summer working together?"_

_Her tone had sounded excited, but was it the kind of excitement that led to something good, or the crazy, Lucy Ricardo lets-do-a-crazy-thing-and-pretend-it's-brilliant excitement? He remembered being intrigued. "Spill. What do you have in mind?"_

_Rachel had insisted doing Disney characters could lead to a big break, and that it would be fun. The fact that she'd never known anyone who had done the Disney summer college student program, and couldn't name anyone who'd gotten a big break off of playing Snow White or whoever hadn't slowed her down. But she'd pleaded, begging him to do it with her, promising that if worst came to worst, it would be just a summer, and they'd probably have wacky stories about all their adventures as Cast Members enough to last their lives. How someone so demented had convinced him to do this, he had no idea. Carole and his dad had both encouraged him to go for it, though, promising to keep him updated._

* * *

**I'm done. And I need an iced mocha latte. STAT.**

He only had moments to wait for her return text. _**I'll meet you at the fountain in the lobby.**_

Kurt nodded and headed for their rendezvous point, trying to return all the smiles people sent his way.

"Kurt! I'm so excited! Did they fit you for face characters?" She handed him an icy cold drink.

"How many coffees have you had, Rachel Berry?" he teased, and tasted it. "Thank you, this is really good. And yes," he smiled at her, "but they also fit me for furs."

"Well, you know, they say they do that for everyone who gets in, but maybe you won't have to do furs at all."

Kurt took a long drink of his iced coffee. "That's not what Gina, my orientation leader, said. But, hmm... I don't know... donning a weird larger than life 'fur' costume – I'll have you know I tried on Tigger – versus tights and polyester, complete with wool hat and the possibility of getting sunburned as a 'face'. How did I let you talk me into this?"

"Kurt! We are the lucky ones! We get to _perform_, and as faces we may even get to be well-known characters! This could be really great!" She was all but bouncing, careful however not to spill her own drink.

"All right, settle down," Kurt relented. "I promise, I'm happy. So, go ahead and guess what 'faces' I could do."

Rachel smiled, happy now that Kurt's grumpiness from before had vanished. "You did get it, right?"

His grin was wide now. "What do you think?"

"You would totally be the best Peter Pan ever! See, I told you! Who else?" She noticed he looked a little off when she said that.

He pointed to his neck and grimaced. "My voice. They told me I'd be perfect for Peter Pan, and I could still do parade work as a face for lots of the princes, or the toy soldiers and stuff like that. On the other hand," he shrugged, "the 'furs' people were very happy; my height is good for a lot of roles, they won't have trouble squeezing me into the cartoon costumes, and all that training at NYADA really helped my dance audition. What about you?"

"Esmerelda," he nodded his agreement, "and Jasmine." He waited for a moment before asking.

"Wait, that's it? That's unbelievable!" he protested, then went on in at a lower volume, "I mean, okay, maybe not Sleeping Beauty, but what about Snow White, or Belle, or Cinderella?"

She smiled ruefully and copied his gesture, only this time pointing at her nose. "This. I mean, face it, I'm no Grace Kelly, and all the talent in the world isn't going to change that." She stepped closer to him to grab his free hand. "But those are both good roles, not to mention the fairies I could do. Did you know Tinkerbell has like, tons of friends now? And they said I'd be perfect as Minnie Mouse, or Chip and Dale (one of them at a time of course), and even Pinocchio." She checked her watch and looked up at him. "We only have like half an hour before we're supposed to meet our mentor."

"Do you think we're supposed to go to dinner with him?" Kurt asked, aware that lunch had been a long time ago, with only water and coffees since then.

"I think so. I heard they try to team up people from the college summer programs with someone from the same part of the country you're from," she told him.

"Great. I go all the way to Florida for my summer job just to hang out with people from Ohio. Sounds like a blast," Kurt snarked.


	2. Chapter 2 Meet Your Mentor!

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

"Kurt, you look _fine_," Rachel insisted, grabbing his arm as she ushered him towards the staff cafeteria. "I heard the food here's pretty decent."

"Honestly, Rach, I'm starved, so for once I don't think I'd care. Where do you suppose our mentor is?" he asked, looking around.

"How about right here?"

Kurt jumped, and Rachel spun around when she heard her.

"Mercedes?" Rachel squeaked, then clapped her hands happily.

"Honey!" Kurt grinned and they hugged, joined by Rachel a second later. "What are you _doing_ here?"

"Same as you both," she smiled at them, "except not on the summer program. This is so great that you're here!"

"How did – I mean – this is great, but -" Rachel spluttered.

"Didn't she used to have breath control?" Mercedes teased, with a sideways glance at Kurt. "Being a mentor is a volunteer thing. I'm not going to be training you, but I'm just here to be a friendly face, show you around the college students' area, help you feel settled in a little. And we mentors get to look at the lists, to see if we know anyone. I had no idea you two would be coming here!"

They smiled at her and she took a look around. "Look, rule number one: unless you want to get mobbed, eat early, like we're doing tonight. Follow me, I'll show you what's good." She glanced behind her and favored them with a wide smile. "Don't worry, I'll answer _all_ your questions. I've been here half a year, and believe me, it's not that complicated."

* * *

"You know, the food here actually is pretty decent," Kurt admitted.

"It is. I mean, you can get a little tired of it, but it's really not bad. Even for rabbits like you," Mercedes said to Rachel.

"Vegan," Rachel smirked. "Now, tell us everything!"

Mercedes nodded and gestured at their trays. "All right, we'll clear out of here and go for a walk. Sun's down and it's pretty nice out."

As they left the building she turned to address them both. "It's a bit freer out here. Keep in mind what they drill into you at orientation – smile, don't be negative, and obey the rules for when you're out in the park like it's your religion." She frowned slightly and opened her arms, hands out. "This place is indeed magical, but if you need to vent, do it at home. Your apartments aren't bugged or anything, _that's a myth_, but really, just try to stay positive. You know where you're staying, right?" They both nodded, as they had already moved into the college student quarters. "You wanna come to my place? Away from The Mouse?"

"Yes. Definitely. I can only do frozen smiles for so long," Kurt said.

"Drama queen," Rachel teased him. "But yes, that sounds lovely."

"Okay, then follow me," Mercedes smiled at them. "My castle's a little less fancy, but I like it."

* * *

"I love your castle," Rachel insisted, a short time later. "Nice and cool, comfortable couch, and I love the color scheme."

"And not a Disney logo in sight," Kurt added. "No, wait, sorry, I didn't see that folder over there. But no major design element, so you don't lose any points."

Mercedes laughed. "Girl, has he been dissing the décor nonstop over at Mouse land full time?"

Rachel giggled. "Well, not _full_ time, since I keep reminding him to smile and not glare at anything. But sometimes I think I can hear him _judging _in my head." Mercedes let out a belly laugh, as Rachel mouthed to Kurt, "It's true."

"That's an exaggeration," Kurt protested. "Design is all about who your target audience is. If your target audience is children, it's completely right to appeal to what they know and love."

"Wait for it," Rachel murmured, sharing a conspiratorial glance with Mercedes.

"But why they would have to go full-on goddamned '_toon_ in the back rooms – _why_? I mean, you're not allowed to work there unless you're at least eighteen, so why do half the rooms look like they're outfitted for Disney princesses?" Kurt was stopped mid-rant by the giggles both girls had dissolved into.

After Mercedes was able to stop laughing and catch her breath, she got out, "Oh, Kurt. Baby, you've been holding that in all day."

"Have not," he countered, then chuckled a little. "Okay, I have. But I was good, Rachel."

"That's true, he was," she admitted. "So, tell us all about being Cast Members!"

"Is she always this excited?" Mercedes asked.

"Not necessarily like this in New York. Should I worry?" Kurt snarked.

"Nah, it's all good. Okay, so thank God I never have to do 'fur' anymore," she breathed. "I mean, it's fun to be a giant cartoon character, for like an hour, and I love the kids, don't get me wrong, but those get-ups are freaking hot, and not in a Kurt Hummel fashion sense."

"Yeah, I kind of got that," Kurt lifted an eyebrow.

"They're gonna cover all this in orientation, but just stay near your attendants, and mind their cues for breaks, and you should be okay no matter what."

"Attendants?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, they're in regular-human clothing and meant to blend in. But they help you if you have a wardrobe malfunction, like if your tail gets stuck or something, they help people take pictures, but most importantly, they take care of you. Make sure you go on your breaks, make sure you're safe -"

"Why?" Kurt interrupted.

"Okay," Mercedes reached for one of the character manuals on her bookshelf, and opened it to a picture of Captain Hook at the Magic Kingdom. "When you've got the big head on, your vision is limited. Your suit is valuable, and believe it or not, they do care about you too. So, they make sure you stay safe, so that you don't fall over something or knock over a bunch of stuff – both of those things are embarrassing – and keep away any stray creeps. I love these guys."

"Where were they in high school?" Kurt muttered.

"Anyway, with any luck you'll do more 'faces' than 'furs'. I mean, no matter how many breaks there are, it's still summer in Florida, and it really does get hot." Everyone nodded their agreement.

"So tell us about what you do," Rachel prompted her.

"Well, girlfriend, I don't do character breakfasts like you two will probably do," she smiled mysteriously.

"Why not?" Rachel looked outraged, but Kurt caught her mood and simply raised his eyebrows.

"Do tell." He smiled at her and gestured.

"Wouldn't want to scare the kiddies over their corn flakes," she laughed evilly. "They'll never cast me as Sleeping Beauty, but everyone knows the villains get all the funnest material."

"Well, Ms. Jones, I never," Kurt teased. "Spill."

"You're looking at Ursula the Sea Witch, and sometimes, Maleficent." She smiled at them broadly.

"Excellent!" Rachel clapped her hands, excited. "Do you get to sing and act?"

"Absolutely, as Ursula. Less with Maleficent, but she's cool to play. Man, some of the kids are terrified of her! But the teenagers tend to love her. You suppose they identify with the dark?"

"Why are you looking at me?" Kurt snorted. "Though I do confess now to being a bit jealous."

"Let me guess," Mercedes smiled at him. "Peter Pan."

"Yes," he admitted, "along with assorted other roles, so long as I keep my mouth shut." Rachel shot a worried glance at him. "Look, it's fine, I get it. Not like I ever thought I'd play Gaston, or wanted to, but my range is good enough for some of those other roles."

"Honey, I know it is," Mercedes reached out and stroked his hand affectionately. "But you're still a little hurt, right?"

"Yeah," he admitted. It kept coming back to this, for him. NYADA was expensive. If you were training to be the next Broadway star, it made sense. But if you were going to be relegated to being a chorus boy the math didn't look so good. Not to him anyway. Even at NYADA he hadn't landed many roles, and he was frustrated by the type-casting. He knew he was lucky to get a character role at Disney, that was what everyone kept telling him, but it still stung.

He looked over at Rachel. They'd talked about it before they left for Florida, though Rachel had tried to avoid the topic. A girl that looked like Quinn would have her pick of Disney princess roles, and Disney didn't hide the fact that they wanted the actors to look like the characters for the 'face' jobs. And Rachel's face didn't fit many of them.

"How about you, Rachel?" their host asked.

Rachel smiled bravely. "Esmerelda and Jasmine. If I'm not too busy being Minnie Mouse or a boy chipmunk. That's not bad, right?"

"Not at all," Mercedes reassured her. "All right, we'll get right down to what to expect, but I know you two can do it. And no, that's not the required Disney positivity-speak talking. I mean it."

**A/N: So, for Cast Members (yes, they capitalize that for Disney, all the time), the 'faces' and 'furs' thing is really their shorthand for the performers. Also, the Mouse (and variations on that) are capitalized since it's short for Mickey Mouse. I promise there'll be Glee-style singing moments, as well as other characters (no spoilers!) but now the stage is set. As always, I'd love to hear from you if you're so inclined.**


	3. Chapter 3 Second Star to the Right

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

Training, compressed into a week's whirlwind of learning the Disney way of doing things, how to sign their specific characters' autographs (or, as Kurt put it, Forgery 101), lessons on how to walk and act as a 'fur' in general (with smaller sessions for specific characters), and finally 'faces' training for those lucky enough to get the parts, was finally over. Kurt and Rachel agreed that it was the most exhausting week they'd ever had.

They sat on the bus in from the college student apartments, sharing nervous smiles and alternating between chattering and nervous silence.

"We're gonna do it, Kurt," Rachel whispered. "First day out, and we both get to be 'faces'. Are you nervous?"

"No, not at all, what could go wrong?" Kurt snarked quietly. "Sunscreen failure, wardrobe malfunction, heat stroke, being squashed or groped in character. It'll be a breeze!"

"Kurt," she quietly whined, brows furrowing. "You're really not excited?"

He smiled gently at her. "I am, Rach. It's just, I can't shut out the worst case scenario part of my brain. I mean, I know 'Cedes gave us great advice, and the training went on and on and covered even more. But okay, I'll admit it, I am excited. And scared."

"I knew it," she whispered, smiling back at him. "I mean, we know our movies in our sleep -"

"Putting it mildly," he reminded her.

"And we're both performers. Performing for people who will be excited to see us, and wanting to see us fulfill their dreams. I mean, some little girls dream of meeting Princess Jasmine, and Peter Pan is one of the most iconic characters they have!"

"Too bad they don't live in the same story," he mock frowned at her. "At least here."

"We do get to do our first character breakfast together," she pointed out. "And dinner."

He leaned into her and reached over to squeeze her hand. "All right, Rachel Berry, I promise to borrow some of your effervescence."

She smiled up at him and leaned into his shoulder, snuggling in. "Any time, babe."

* * *

Mercedes met them as they entered the building where they would transform and leave soon after to start their day.

"You two are gonna do great. I mean, 'faces' first day out? That's pretty sweet. Of course, you won't get to talk much or do much, but it's a great intro." They both nodded their agreement. Soon they had all hugged, made arrangements to meet up at the end of the night, and Rachel and Kurt parted to go get in full character for their first day as live performers.

Gina remembered Kurt from his first day, and herded the group doing the Magic Kingdom breakfast together, lining them up for the bus ride in and ready with words of advice.

"You all look fantastic. Go ahead, take a look at each other!" She beamed with an almost parental looking pride as her rookies took a moment to admire each other. "Now, this group is about a 25/75 split, so that means only a fourth of you are doing this for the first time. Section leaders, step forward for a minute," and a small group broke away to stand beside her. "Take a good look, and remember them. More importantly, who can tell me what else to keep in mind?"

Kurt suppressed a groan, not wanting to play 'school' but knowing that Rachel would do it for him, as evidenced by her hand flailing in the air inches from his nose.

Gina smiled at Rachel, now the Princess Jasmine, and pointed to her. "Go ahead."

Rachel beamed back. "Remember that the character attendants are present for all events, and that they're there to help."

"You got it. You're never alone out there; you will always have Cast Mates and attendants. And always remember: we're here to make the magic come alive. So, go make some magic!"

They all clapped, then proceeded to load into the two buses waiting outside for them. The 'furs' got to carry their heads, as this was a behind the scenes area, and the windows of the bus looked opaque from outside. They'd be let out behind the scenes as well, but Kurt was amazed at how, even for him, this surreal scene in front of him felt just a bit magical too. Rachel studied his face as he looked around, and Snow White laid a hand on her arm.

"Excited?"

"I really am," she giggled nervously.

Snow White inclined her head and looked at her earnestly. "Remember today. Remember how excited some of those kids are going to be, and the first time you feel that thrill of bringing your character to life for them, right in front of them. And have fun," she added.

"Thank you," Rachel breathed. "Do you still?"

Her lips curved upwards gently, accented by the deep red lipstick she wore as her character. "I really do. You'll see!"

Kurt looked around him, feeling like it was the first day of school all over, and he was the clueless freshman. Most of the people around him seemed to know each other, and it was easy to pick out the newbies: the veterans were either talking to their groups of friends or napping – a surprising number of them were doing that. He looked outside as the palm trees and rows of flowers flew by, and smirked as he looked down on his lap. He wouldn't have picked any of these shades of green, and he picked for a moment at the bright green tights. Thanks to the Wardrobe Department's attention to detail his did fit, but the stretchy polyester seemed like it would get hot in a hurry. He leaned his head to the side as he considered the fabric, and recalled being told that these did have an equivalent of SPF 100+ protection. He took his hat off for a moment, immediately reaching up to smooth his wig.

He remembered Ellie, who'd done his finishing touches this morning to his hair and makeup, had cooed over his natural hair. "This," she'd said, working her fingers through his product-less hair (a firm rule when wearing wigs here in Mouse Central), "is a great head of hair you've got here. You know," she said thoughtfully, as she began to ready his head for the auburn wig, "if you let it grow a bit longer and color it right, you could get cleared to forgo this" she said, patting the wig into place and fastening it with a bit of special product.

"You mean so I could look like Peter Pan all the time?" he'd snarked. "Tempting."

She'd laughed out loud at that. "Don't knock it like that! You might change your mind you know."

"And Disney World might freeze over in July too," he'd muttered.

"I heard that," she teased. "But don't worry, I won't tell Gina."

He studied his feet for a moment. He had to salute the people who'd made these ridiculous shoes as comfortable as they were. It made sense, since unless they were on parade they'd walk around or stand in them a lot, that they felt like lightweight hiking boots. Ghastly greenish brown color, he winced, but then it wasn't like he'd wear these out clubbing.

A few seats away one of the 'fur' team leaders smiled, paying attention to the new recruits, hoping they all remembered enough of their training to avoid heat stroke. His character head was stashed in the upper compartment with the other heads (making the interior of the bus look really strange from some angles, he always thought), and he was glad for this time when he could sip his water in peace and breathe fresh (sort of) air.

* * *

"Hello, what's your name?" Kurt kneeled down to be able to look the shy little boy in the face. "I saw you wave to me from over there," he told him, with the air of one sharing a great secret.

"Michael," the tiny boy whispered, then looked up at the man sitting beside him.

"Really?" Kurt grinned at him. "I have a friend with that name!"

"I know," Michael nodded his head. He produced a sturdy spiral-bound Disney autograph book for him. "Would you sign my book, please?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Kurt answered him. "Good thing Wendy taught me how to sign my name!" He accepted the boy's pen and signed 'Peter Pan' boldly, and looked at it a moment, pleased with the result. He looked around the room quickly, and saw that the activity had died down, that things were quiet for a moment. He turned to the small boy and shared a conspiratorial smile as he raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember how I find Neverland when I'm flying?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Second star to the right, and straight on 'til morning!" Kurt saw the man smile proudly at the boy, and saw too his mouthed 'thank you'.

"That's right," Kurt said. "I have something special I can do for you. Wanna see?" The boy squirmed and looked for a moment like an impatient puppy. "Okay. Watch." He reached into a pocket on his belt pouch and pulled out a gold pen, and drew three stars onto the page where he'd signed his name. The gold from the gel pen gleamed as it dried.

"Daddy, look! Three stars!" Michael said, the first words Kurt had heard him say above a whisper. "One for me, one for you, and one for Peter Pan. Thank you!" And he lurched forward to hug Kurt.

The boy's father caught Kurt's look of surprise, but then he hugged the little boy back, staying in the hug a moment longer until the happy dad took a picture. He leaned back on his heels moments later. "You're welcome. Have fun today. Oh, and if you see Tinkerbell, tell her I'm looking for her, okay?"

"I sure will," Michael said firmly, "I won't forget."

"Good." Kurt "Maybe I'll see you later," and he got up and waved to the father and son.

Buzz Lightyear smiled under his 'head' and moved on to greet another family. Gina may be right, he thought: this Peter Pan was indeed something special.

**A/N: Hello, and thank you, all of you reading this story, and especially those of you who have reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. I hope you continue to enjoy. Any guess on who Buzz is? Hint: sadly, Tigger is a tall character, and while he would have loved to be him for those times he's not a 'face', he's still happy to be Buzz Lightyear, who's 5'7" to 5'8". Also, he's not usually on 'fur' duty, but as a team leader he finds it's easy to observe new Cast Members with the big head on (so they don't know he's doing it).**


	4. Chapter 4 Flawless

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

_That went pretty well_, Blaine thought, removing his head once he was safely back stage. No major slip-ups or kids getting sick all over anyone (though of course he remembered that breakfast was usually the safest meal of the day in that respect) and no one tripped over anything, or worse, knocked over a guest.

He loved being Buzz Lightyear, especially indoors. Like any other 'fur' costume, wearing it outdoors in the Florida summer weather was a horror, but indoors it was merely steamy. But Buzz' costume had fun working buttons on his wrists and chest, and kids were usually ecstatic if he let them push one of them. Of course, like the other orientation team leaders today, he was in 'fur' to better observe the new Cast Members. Gina had covered this quickly but efficiently, as she did most things: the newbies knew the team leaders would be giving them feedback when they assembled in one of the oversized conference rooms in a few minutes.

She caught his eye as she walked down the long hallway towards him, wearing a bright smile. "Hi, sweetie," she greeted him.

"Hello, Mother Superior," he smiled back. He didn't make her wait. "It was good," he said, nodding his head. "No slip-ups, no one tripped, and some of the new 'faces' are really impressive."

"Of course they are," she smiled serenely. "Anyone stand out for you?" She watched him and saw what she could have easily missed: a fleeting, faraway smile on the face of one of her favorite summer crew members.

Blaine swallowed, and she giggled as she watched him practically shake himself back to the conversation. "Yes!" He held out a hand, enumerating. "There was the new Princess Aurora, very kind to the guests, very old-school Hollywood-looking. Princess Jasmine was great, very into her character, and very good at dodging an older brother of one of the little girls when he tried to get her to put her phone number in his cel phone. She kind of just focused on the little girl and her parents, but then at the end smiled at the brother and charmed them all before she went on to the next table." They continued walking towards the drinks station on the way to the conference room. "And our new Pooh Bear is very good, a natural mime."

"I think you're leaving someone out," she said in a stage whisper.

He spun around to face her. "What makes you say that?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled indulgently. "For one thing, I already heard about him from Gerry." Blaine sighed. Gerry was a good guy, but he was a huge gossip. "For another, I have eyes, you know. Beyond having all of you as my minions." She stretched out her arms and giggled.

"Well, for one thing, I was saving the best for last," Blaine protested. "For another, didn't I warn you about letting Gerry put ideas in your head?"

She patted his arm, shaking her head at the pout he had assumed. "Don't pout as Buzz Lightyear, you'll make me spill my coffee laughing. And I do know better than to buy everything Gerry says. Now tell me all about him."

"Okay, well he's a natural for Peter Pan. I mean, _born_ to play the part," he gushed. "He has this cute elfin face that's totally perfect, I mean make-up can only do so much. But the best part is how he is with the kids. He gets down to their level right away and makes it look totally natural, and he's able to talk with them in a way that even the shy kids aren't scared of. He was flawless, honestly. I mean, he was a tiny bit shy at first when kids would hug him, but he got good at that quickly, and I don't think anyone but us would have seen that."

She studied him, wondering if he had any idea if he knew how he looked when he talked about _him_ – she corrected herself, looking down at her clipboard – Kurt Hummel. No, she thought, Blaine was excellent at being in character himself, but when he wasn't, those eyes and that face betrayed everything. "I did hear he had some contraband," she murmured, wondering what he'd say to that.

Blaine blushed, and she thought he looked like a little boy who'd been caught, and he said in a rush, "Geez! But, I mean, it was_ in character_ for him, and -"

She laughed, holding up the hand holding the clipboard to stop him. "Blaine, _breathe_. I'm going to allow it. Especially since he evidently gifted his friend with some contraband too. You theatre kids and your good luck charms! I heard he didn't use it all the time, and that when he did he just added a few small stars to his autographs." She smiled fondly. "Stars and Peter Pan? Sure, I'll allow that." She lowered her voice and teased him, "did you think I was going to give him detention or something?"

* * *

"Are you nervous?" Rachel whispered, scooting her chair closer to Kurt, rubbing her hands on her arms in the chilly room.

"Are you?" he asked, brows furrowed in concern. "Rachel Barbara Berry, you killed it out there." He smiled at her.

"I just want to get it right," she murmured, looking up as Gina and the team leaders entered the room.

"Me too," he admitted, and fell into silence as Gina walked up to the podium.

"Welcome back," she greeted them with a smile. "I hear it went well." She gestured to the platters of fruit and muffins. "Go ahead and have a snack. You've heard me say it before, but I'll say it again: bananas and citrus, along with staying hydrated, will help you stay _vertical_ out there. So, some thoughts for our new Cast Mates ..."

Blaine tuned her out as he studied the group, seated around large rectangular tables to form one huge rectangle. He smiled at Princess Jasmine, and looked down at his own clipboard. Rachel Berry, from Ohio. He thought she maybe looked familiar, but he couldn't place her, and knew he'd talk to her after the meeting. So, she was pretty tight with his Peter Pan, also known as Kurt Hummel, he noticed, also from Ohio. He smiled right at him then, and lifted a few fingers in a tiny wave.

Blaine felt his heart speed up when Kurt smiled back, bowing his head slightly as he did so. Suddenly a late morning of 'face' duty in Adventureland was looking very appealing.

* * *

"How on Earth did you get Phil to switch with you?" Gina raised an eyebrow, looking over at Blaine as they moved their chairs to sit together at the deserted table.

"Maybe he owes me a favor," Blaine said smoothly. "Pleeease?" he pleaded, putting on a boyish pout.

"Fine. You'll have to suit up fast." She consulted her roster for the mid-morning rotation for the group. "And we'll have three new Cast Members to keep track of and watch out for," she smiled, "as if you didn't know."

"Who's on with us?" he asked.

"A fellow Ohioan and Mary Lou," she answered.

"Sounds like a fun morning to me," Blaine smiled, getting up and gathering his things.

"Make it magical," she reminded him.

"Always do," he saluted her and smiled back.

* * *

He hurried back to the staging area, and tapped her on the shoulder. "Princess Jasmine?" he asked, in his very best Aladdin voice.

She whirled around to answer him, smiling hugely. He had to admit she looked perfect, and her smile looked genuine. "My prince!" she enthused, bobbing up and down a little.

"As you wish, Princess," he bowed to her, "though today I am dressed as a humble street rat. But I'll be with you to keep you safe, never fear, and I know all the secret doors and escape routes."

"Ooh, this is so fun!" she squealed. "I'm so glad you're my Aladdin," she whispered.

"Me too," he agreed, breaking into a huge smile. He looked around, and a few yards away he saw Peter Pan, paired up with Wendy, who had also been on with him last summer. It was funny, he reflected; as Wendy Sue was calm and collected, occasionally scolding Peter in character, and very sweet. In person, she was a bit of a ditz, snapped at people when she was nervous, and was a huge flirt. He had to admire how good she was at accents, though: she managed to sound slightly British, when in fact her native accent was a Georgian drawl. She was usually okay with the new Cast Members, though, and he didn't think there would be a problem.

They were joined by Mickey and Minnie. Mary Lou nodded to him, put her Minnie head on, and gave him a thumbs up when it was on securely.

"All right," he called out, "smiles, everyone!"

"For the last time," Sue snarked, smoothing out her blue Wendy nightgown, "no one this age gets your weird Fantasy Island references."

Kurt hid his giggle behind his hand. "Um, okay, I did get it, but only because my dad loved that show."

"Whatever, honey," Sue sighed. "Don't encourage him."

Blaine turned his back to the door to address the group. "Time to meet our attendants for this morning. Remember, they'll never be far from you, and they'll be watching to make sure we rotate out for breaks on time. Here they are – Mercedes Jones and Bill Francis."

"What!" Kurt smiled and hurried over to hug her as Blaine watched with a smile. "You didn't tell us you did this!"

She laughed out loud and turned to hug Rachel too. "Well, I don't get out much as Ursula, and hardly ever as Maleficent. I was supposed to do 'furs' like you two will do sometimes, but that didn't work out so great." She shrugged her shoulders. "You know what they say, 'if you can't take the heat, get out of the costume'".

"They say that here?" Rachel asked, looking almost as if she wanted to write it down.

"_I_ say it," Mercedes said.

"Well, when we discovered she was really good with the guests, I suggested we train her to join me," Bill said. He was a middle-aged man with a friendly face. "An idea I'm proud to take credit for."

"Okay," Blaine said, glancing up at the large clock on the wall. "Showtime. Here we go!"

**A/N: So, yes, you guessed right, that Buzz Lightyear was indeed Blaine.**

**Thank you, all of you who have followed/favorited this story (or me!). I am so honored, and hope you continue to enjoy. Your reviews have been lovely and I so appreciate all of them, not to mention the great ideas you give me. I hope you all continue to enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5 Haven't I seen you before?

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

Kurt blinked, momentarily blinded as they stepped out into the bright, sunny day. Sue gave him a cutely dimply smile, squeezed his hand, then shoved him out hard with a cheery, "out you go!", pushing right at his mid back. Kurt laughed at the absurdity of it and smiled too, letting his eyes adjust for a second while she joined him. The square in Adventureland was crowded, and it only took an instant for the first guests to find them.

"Look! It's Peter Pan! He's right over there, and Wendy's there too!", a little girl squealed, pulling her mother in their direction.

Kurt grinned at them and put his arms on his hips, and swept into a theatrical bow as they got closer. "Well, look at that, Wendy! She knows us even without Tinkerbell nearby. Do you think we should tell Tink?"

Wendy rolled her eyes a bit and performed for the children starting to swarm them. "Oh, Peter, I don't think you should bother. Besides, why give her something else to get mad about?" She turned to the children and acknowledged them with a curtsey. "Hello. _Do_ forgive me, I'm afraid I haven't had a chance to change my clothes since getting back from Neverland. How do you do?"

Kurt smiled as the children and their parents seemed to respond in kind to Sue's excellent Wendy impression, complete with very proper manners. He posed as subtly as he could as many parents had started taking pictures, then squatted down as the little girl who'd spotted them beamed at him.

"Peter? My mama said I should ask first, if it's okay for you to get a picture with me," she murmured, suddenly shy.

"'Course!" Kurt looked around him, and then smiled a satisfied smile. "I was just making sure my shadow was still there." He turned to address it, nodding elaborately so his shadow looked animated. "Shadow? Behave for these nice people. Will you do that?" He nodded, staring intently at his shadow, and turned to her. "Sure. Come right over!"

The little girl grabbed her toddling brother, who looked confused but joined her all the same. Kurt smiled, an arm around each of them, and allowed the pleased parents to take pictures. After several families had gotten their pictures Wendy teased him so they could hear her. "Well, Peter, we better get exploring. If you stay there in one place doing nothing but posing for pictures you'll be as vain as Tinkerbell herself."

Kurt frowned in character. "Wendy, I don't know why you don't get along better with Tinkerbell..." he trailed off, looking mystified.

"As if _you'd_ understand," she said wearily. "Didn't you promise to show me around?"

Kurt noticed the adults smile appreciatively at their banter, as their distracted children got ready to swarm to the next thing that caught their attention.

* * *

"Follow me, Princess, if you want to visit the market," Blaine said to Rachel, reaching for her hand.

"Do you think it's safe? Father would be so upset if he knew I was out here," she replied.

"Do you trust me?" He turned to her and smiled, looking at her with a mischievous expression, and noticing out of the corner of his eye that the crowd gathering around them was loving it.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged prettily. "What choice do I have? Oh, and you must have a better name than _'street rat'_ – isn't that what that man at the stall over there called you?"

"My name is Aladdin, and I am at your service," he said, bowing deeply and inclining his head. "I know this place like the back of my hand," he bragged, puffing out his chest as he got up. "What could go wrong?"

Rachel giggled as Jasmine, and shook her head, taking his hand and going to look at some Middle Eastern wares. They stopped in front of that stall, and prepared to sign autographs, pose, and mix with the guests.

"She's kind of short for Jasmine," a middle-aged man said only a few feet away. "I mean, is the regular one on vacation? Though you're right, Phyllis, this one does look Middle Eastern. I just hope she's American. I mean, you know how the terrorists just want to get in here and cause trouble."

Blaine looked at Rachel. He knew she could hear it as well as he could, though he thought she was hiding it well. The children were ignoring the season pass holder, who actually came so often he sort of looked familiar, and had his pass dangling from a Disney lanyard that clashed with his brown, sweaty tee-shirt. He squatted down and spoke to the children. "Have any of you seen Abu? He always seems to get into something when he's here."

"Too bad I had to leave Rajah at the palace," Rachel sighed, her eyes flicking to the season pass holder for a split second.

"Well, let's see... the most beautiful girl in the kingdom, wandering around the market with the Princess' pet tiger... I don't think the guards could possibly miss that." His eyebrows danced as he teased her, a few of the children squealing and asking if they could meet her pet.

"No, he's right," she told them. "But I do have something special I can share with you that reminds me of him. Do you want to see?"

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief as he noticed that the season pass holder had moved on already.

"Okay, I'll show you," and she smiled a big show smile at them as she fished out her good luck charm from Kurt that fit right in the small concealed pocket where she kept a pen for signing autographs. She accepted a little girl's autograph book and opened it to a fresh page, and snapped open the bottom of the marker, stamped it, then signed her name for the child.

"Look! I've got a paw print!" the little girl said excitedly, pointing at the purple impression. "This is so cool." She saw her mother motion something to her, and added, "oh, and thank you very much!"

"You're welcome," Rachel laughed, already busy signing another, as Blaine did the same. Then they posed for pictures with several groups and individuals.

"Time for your first break," Mercedes told them with a smile, as the crowd thinned a little with the appearance of Tigger and Rabbit across the square.

"Already?" Rachel looked at her in shock.

"Quick, while there's a distraction going on," Mercedes said quietly, smiling all the while.

"Princess, there was something I was going to show you about that stall over there," Blaine pointed to a display near the camouflaged exit to the staff area.

"Oh, all right," she smiled at him, following happily.

* * *

It had been a long year, she thought, as she ducked with him into the break area. Finn was gone, a little over a year ago now, and she hadn't had any serious dates, though she'd gone on plenty of group things with NYADA friends. She was still careful about when and where she allowed herself to think of him, since she knew how quickly remembering him could lead to tears.

But this boy, she thought, breathing easily now in the air-conditioned corridor, was adorable and seemed really sweet. She smiled grimly, recalling that Santana had informed her that most of the Disney princes didn't play for her team, and that if she meant it when she said she was willing to meet new guys, why not stay at the diner and meet cute New Yorkers?

She rolled her eyes at the memory. Santana may have meant well, but she was probably exaggerating. Her dads had said Up With People, where they met as performers one summer, had the same reputation, and they'd known at least one straight couple who'd met there.

Aladdin (she was annoyed that she couldn't remember his name) turned and smiled a gentle smile at her. "Well, you made it through to your first break time." He reached for a cup of ice water and handed her one. "And Gina knows all about your contraband, but decided it's okay," he added, with a wink.

"Um... um..." she flailed for a moment. "That's good. Kurt and I gave each other good luck charms."

He took a long drink of his own water, and she did the same, almost finishing it in one go. "I know. I saw his too." He finished off his water, and went to refill it, accepting hers too without a word.

Ooh, such a gentleman, Rachel squealed inwardly. Cute, attentive, and what a flirt! She beamed at him when he returned moments later with their cups.

"So, how do you and Kurt know each other?" Blaine asked.

"We're roommates... well, it's sort of a loft with one huge room so technically, yeah, and, we go back all the way to when we started high school." She drank some more, then looked up at him coyly. "But you're from Ohio too, right? You look familiar to me, somehow."

"Blaine Devon Anderson, from the Dalton Academy Warblers," he bowed deeply, "at your service."

"No!" She stepped back, shocked. "Yes, yes, that's _exactly_ who you are! You were our fiercest competition, well except for Vocal Adrenaline," she rambled excitedly. "You were their lead soloist! Get out!"

"Guilty as charged," Blaine chuckled. "And you, Rachel Barbra Berry, were the Council's worst nightmare. We beat you once, but you beat _us_ – twice!"

"No hard feelings?" Rachel asked, giving him sad puppy eyes with a comic frown.

"No," he laughed. "You always won fair and square."

"Wait a minute," Blaine looked at her, awash in his memories. "Kurt! I remember when we faced off for Regionals when I was a junior -"

"We had to do vintage numbers," she added helpfully.

"He sang lead on 'I Want To Hold Your Hand'," he said, with a faraway look on his face. "It was so beautiful."

"He helped us beat you that year," she admitted.

Blaine looked confused. "But I don't remember anything else where he was lead. It's not like you could forget a voice like that."

Rachel looked at her feet, her cheeks coloring under her makeup. "Except for one other time in Sectionals, not against the Warblers, I think, you're right." She looked up at him and took another sip of her water. "But I'll tell him you remember his performance."

"Thank you, that would be so nice."

"No problem," she said briskly. "Now, tell me about your life after Warbling..."

**A/N: Hello, and thank you, dear readers. I am pleased to welcome you back to my story, and so honored by all the follows and favorites. I hope you continue to enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6 Um nice dress!

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

_[Cue the Glee voiceover guy: So, here's what you missed! Rachel convinced Kurt to go with her to work on the summer college student program at Disney World. They both got jobs as performers, and found out Mercedes was working there too. Rachel's discovered one of their mentors is a blast from their past, and she's sort of crushing on her former competitor, Dalton Academy's old lead singer, Blaine Anderson. So, that's what you missed!]_

"Look, Maurice, right there," the silver-haired woman pointed at the costumed couple a short distance away, and moved closer to them to watch them.

"What?" he said, following her.

They were close enough now to hear the characters talking. "Those two, they are so adorable." She smiled up at him. "There you go; we've never seen _them_, and _I_ think they count."

Her husband stood closer, enjoying watching the couple along with her. "All right, Genie, you win. You did find something we'd never seen before, since I don't recognize them, and they're good, so I'll say you won this one. Where are we having lunch – my treat?"

She smiled again, and got out her iphone to check her options. "Epcot – Italy." Her attention drifted back to the characters for a few moments. "Do you suppose they're a real couple?" she wondered out loud.

He studied them for a minute, after joining her on a nearby bench that a family had just vacated. "They could be," he said. "Much more convincing than last time we were here – remember that Cinderella and her Prince Charming? Totally bogus," he said, in a clear imitation of one of their grandsons, prompting giggles from his wife.

"Well these two make a really cute couple," she said dreamily.

He stood up, evidently ready to be on the move again, and held out his hand to help her. "Did you already make a reservation on your phone for lunch?"

Blaine saw the older couple leaving and smiled at them. More passholders, but these ones were nice, and he was glad their performance measured up. Mercedes organized the onlookers who wanted pictures and autographs, and he joined Rachel under the awning of the stand selling scarves to do it (he knew it provided a nice backdrop for them too).

"Princess, I think I saw some of the palace guards," Mercedes told her.

"You don't think they saw me here, do you?" she asked dramatically, a hand flying to cover her heart as she ducked her head and looked around.

"The guards and I don't really get along," Blaine added. "Maybe we should leave for a while."

"I think if you go that way they'll never find you," Mercedes told them, and a few of the guests waved to them as they retreated. He led her back to the offstage area. When they were inside, he turned to her.

"You're doing great."

Rachel beamed back at him. "You think so? Of course, having a good partner really helps," she cocked her head, looking at him from under the sweep of her fake eyelashes.

"No, really," he protested, "no one would ever guess this is your first day being out there." He changed his tone, back to his Aladdin voice. "And now, esteemed effendi, we eat!"

"I am suddenly kind of hungry. Do we get to eat with Kurt?"

He looked towards the door they'd just used. "Probably not. They don't want all the characters to leave at once. Just little old me for company."

She smiled warmly at him. "Don't say that like it's a bad thing. Maybe we can make plans for later?"

"I think that would be great," he smiled back at her. "Maybe Kurt can join us too. Oh, and your friend, Mercedes. Hey, wait a minute, she was in your show choir too – I remember her!" He exhaled noisily. "It's amazing we _ever_ beat you, you guys had so much talent."

"Definitely true," she nodded. "You should have seen the fights for solos in our choir room back then!"

He raised his eyebrows at this, and she studied the cute triangles they made.

Blaine shifted uncomfortably in line as she noticed him studying his face, then smiled nervously. "Yes, they're real. These are my eyebrows, full time. They don't add a thing to them." He smiled at her. "It's okay, I know you were looking."

She laughed and laid a hand on his bare arm, and looked closer at his face, this time admiring his long eyelashes, which, she decided, were just as real. His makeup was minimal, but she thought he didn't look like he'd need any as Aladdin: he already had great eyes (and lashes and eyebrows, well, the brows were a touch cartoony, but that worked for the character), and while he was wearing a black wig under his costume hat, she guessed his natural hair was probably just as dark. She looked at his partially exposed chest, then abruptly got the feeling that she'd been looking too long, and looked up, making a show of scrutinizing the menu and blushing.

"Sorry," she murmured. "I mean, it's lucky to have the right features for the character."

He chuckled, joining her in looking at the menu board he knew by heart. "They do actually pluck my eyebrows a little. Not my favorite thing ever. That and I have to shave my face twice a day in costume."

She turned around to look again at his face. He continued, "And if I have a three day weekend I start to look like a cave man."

She beamed at him and laughed prettily. "I think I could see you rocking that look. Well, the face, I mean. But I hope you have better fashion sense than that."

He shook his head and smirked. "I guess it depends on your taste. No, I assure you, I do not don caveman couture. Au contraire."

She edged forward, close to being able to select her lunch. "Color me intrigued," she giggled, waggling her eyebrows.

* * *

Kurt followed Sue's lead, as she headed to a shady area near the Swiss Family Robinson's tree. "Honey," she addressed him in her native Georgia drawl, "stick with me. I don't like too much sun either, and the guests like this spot too, so this one here's a good 'un."

The crowds were momentarily absorbed with watching Mickey and Pluto out in the square. Minnie joined them, and the children flocked to them as they waved and gestured to each other and the guests. Pluto's antics seemed to be a big favorite, and he kept the kids happy as they waited to be photographed with Mickey and Minnie.

"So, you and your roommate?" Sue asked him.

Like her, he was facing out at the crowd, ready to be 'on' any instant. "Rachel? Well, we both go to NYADA. That's a performing arts college in New York."

"She's not your girlfriend, is she," Sue drawled.

"No," he smiled tightly.

"Not your team, am I right?" She teased him.

He turned to her, and she could see him pinking up under his makeup. "What makes you say that?"

"Sugar, I mean, no offense," she said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "It's all in who you look at. And in your case, it's not the Princesses, so it's not like it's hard to figure it out." She noticed his guarded expression. "Look, honey, I don't care a bit. I've been with my boyfriend for two years, and I didn't mean anything by it." She added in a rush, "look, we'll talk at lunch, and I can fill you in on who's taken and who's not, where to go for fun, all that. Okay?"

He glanced back at her and smiled, looking more relaxed. "Okay. Sorry – I mean, where I went to high school I got a lot of crap."

"Sugar," she murmured in her softest tone, "_showtime_, in like three seconds. Remember, no cussin', not even the mild ones." She straightened up and instantly became Wendy as she smoothed her nightgown and schooled her expression.

"Wendy," he joined her in getting back in character, "this tree is huge! I think maybe it's bigger than any tree we have back in Neverland!"

"Peter Pan!" A little boy pointed at them excitedly, tugging on his mother's arm.

"And look!" The mother played along. "Wendy too!"

The little boy hurried over to them, then darted back to drag his mother over faster. "C'mon, mom!"

* * *

Coming back to the backstage area for what would be her last break of the day, Rachel's eyes darted to the big clock on the wall. She grabbed a cup of ice water and started downing it greedily.

"There you are!" Kurt loped over to her, quickly emptying his own cup. "Well, we're almost in the clear. One more shift until quitting time."

"It's good, though, right? I mean, exhausting, sure, but I think it went pretty well. How about you?" She looked at him with concern.

He smiled a tired smile. "Good. It's good," he nodded. "Sue really knows her stuff, and she's like a shade _ninja_ – she knows how to keep us out of the sun without it looking like we're insomniac vampires. She's really nice too."

Rachel grinned. "So's my Aladdin. As a matter of fact, he offered to take us out after. He even asked Mercedes if she could come too, but she's got a voice lesson so she couldn't. There's this neat piano bar a lot of them go to with karaoke -"

"Get out!"

"I know!" She enthused. "And don't worry, it's not a regular bar. It's not Disney, but the piano and karaoke side is on the restaurant part."

"Good thing. I don't want to get busted as a Disney employee for underage drinking, thank you very much." He turned to her with a conspiratorial grin. "You recognize him, don't you."

She made a show of inspecting her feet. "Fine. Yes, I do, but he recognized me first." She looked up at him, suddenly remembering what she'd meant to tell him. "You know, he recognizes you too. As a matter of fact, he raved about your performance."

"He remembered that?"

She huffed before answering. "Kurt, you were _stellar_. And, truth be told, the Warblers were practically salivating – I even heard one of them talking about how much they wished they had a counter tenor like you."

"And I'm hearing this for the first time only now _why_?" He looked at her in disbelief. True, he'd had plenty of validation since then, getting into NYADA, and a few successes in small parts in plays there, but he felt like his high school self would have killed to hear this.

"I'm sorry. Kurt, we were feuding back then, and honestly, I didn't remember it until now, when I was talking to him. Anyway, he invited both of us, and Mercedes, but she can't come, but it was nice of him to include her -"

She was interrupted by Kurt's giggling. "I'm sorry, Rach, but you really are hysterical when you rant like that. Only you could master the breath needed to do all of that in one go."

"Hmpf. Well, as I was saying, I accepted, so I hope you're good with that."

Kurt reached for the pitcher on the counter they were standing next to, and refilled both their waters. "I think it's a great idea." He took another long swig of water. "I don't think I've ever had this much to drink in one day."

* * *

Blaine met them as they got off the bus, fresh from freshening up at the college students' area.

"Wow, you look great," he said, reaching for Rachel's hand as she stepped down. "Kurt," he started, but seemed to lose his voice as he looked up at him, on the step above Rachel.

Kurt's hair was now styled in his signature quiff, and the Dior grey short-sleeved button down he wore fit like it was made for him. His light purple tie looked almost iridescent, and Blaine quickly drew his eyes away from Kurt's dark grey pants, and looked instead back to Rachel.

"Nice dress," Blaine breathed, trying for normalcy, but his eyes flew back to Kurt as he got off the bus and stood beside her.

"Why, thank you," she preened. "Kurt helped me pick it out," she blurted out.

Glad for the excuse to look at him again, the two men shared a laugh.

"Yeah," Kurt pursed his lips momentarily into a duck face, "she's not really allowed to shop without me."

"Kurt!" she squealed, whirling around to smack his arm.

"Sorry," he rolled his eyes. "Truth time. Besides, you know I'm right."

"Fine." She pretend-pouted a bit. "Mr. Vogue dot com part-time intern here rules my wardrobe." She frowned, fanning herself a bit. "How is it still so hot this time of day?"

Blaine rushed to guide them a few doors away to the Piano Man bar and grill. "You get used to it. But the restaurant's nice and cool, and they have great coffee and smoothies. C'mon. My treat!"

* * *

Kurt pushed his plate aside. The avocado Southwest wrap had been delicious, as Blaine had sworn it would be, but he was full. Blaine was seated across from him, wearing a red polo and a thin black bow tie with red and white details. He'd totally rocked his Aladdin look, Kurt thought, but he was stunning as himself. He found himself wondering what his hair looked like if it wasn't gelled down, and thought he detected some curls trying to break free at his neck. He forced his gaze back to the menu, pretending to weigh dessert options, when he heard her high-pitched greeting.

"Kurt! You're here!" Sue tackled him from behind, quickly engulfing him in a big hug. "Sweetie, this is my boyfriend, Rob. Honey, can we squeeze in with you?"

Kurt smiled under her attention. Working with her only one day so far, and she'd already glommed onto him like a long lost relation. Of course, that was just Sue being Sue, he knew; he'd seen her greet fellow Cast Members the same way. Still, it was nice, and her warmth was infectious.

Her boyfriend was polite, quiet, and sort of plain-looking, but he clearly worshipped her, following her like an attentive puppy. "Rob," she turned to him, "you already know Blaine, and I told you all about Kurt, and this is his friend Rachel. She was Princess Jasmine today for the very first time," she said, with what almost sounded like maternal pride. "Did I miss anything good?"

* * *

A little later, after Blaine had left them to secure a spot on the line-up, Sue tapped Rachel on the shoulder.

"Sweetie?" she said, practically into her ear.

"Um, can I help you?" Rachel asked, staring at Blaine from across the room.

"Sugar, we need to go to the little girls' room. C'mon," she said, grabbing Rachel's hand.

"But I don't need to -"

"Kurt, we need to go powder our noses," Sue plowed straight ahead, turning her head to be sure Kurt heard as she herded Rachel away. "We really do," she added softly, looking down at the shorter girl.

**A/N: Sorry I've been away for such a long time! I won't bore you with tales of real life (mine), since that's not what you're here for (me neither). But I do hope to get back to more frequent updates.**

**First off, the older couple at the top of the chapter? Drawn from life, in this case, my in-laws. Just for fun. Second, I hope you're not freezing, like we are here in New Hampshire (maybe this tale of Florida in summer can give you a glimpse of sunshine and warmth). Third, Blaine's look in the restaurant is what he wore on his first day at McKinley (go ahead and take revisit season 3, episode 1).**

**I hope to update soon, as I said. As always, I love to hear from you, so please leave a review if you're so inclined. And thank you, all of you who are following this story, so much.**


	7. Chapter 7 A Whole New World

**A/N: I don't own Glee (Ryan Murphy and Fox do) or anything else you might recognize here (like Disney!) but use them here with love.**

Blaine settled in at the piano bench and glanced back at their table in the crowded restaurant. He'd promised Rachel a duet, but her place was empty. He noticed Kurt talking to Sue's boyfriend Rob, and smiled as he stretched. Why girls always went off to the restrooms in twos was something of a mystery to him. He adjusted the mic and leaned forward a bit to greet the room.

"Hello, everyone! I hope you're all having a good night so far," he paused, letting the noise die down a bit. "My name's Blaine, and I hope you're not overloaded on Disney yet." His eyebrows danced, taking in a few scattered groans from co-workers. "My duet partner isn't back yet, so I'll just start with this." He played a jazzy sounding intro, then said, "sing along if you know it, especially on the crowd parts." His fellow veteran Cast Members smiled, knowing now what was next, and happy to oblige him.

_Gotta keep one jump ahead of the breadline_

_ One swing ahead of the sword_

_ I only steal what I can't afford_

He nodded to the audience, and a lot of them joined him

_And that's everything!_

He continued on his own next.

_One jump ahead of the lawman_

_ And that's no joke_

_ These guys don't appreciate I'm broke!_

"Help me out here," Blaine encouraged his audience, with a smile.

_Scoundrel! Street rat! Take that!_

He sang back at them,

_Just a little snack guys!_

Kurt's eyes were riveted to him as he performed, and he knew all the lyrics. If he hadn't remembered them from his youth, spending time with Rachel while she did her mandatory character study for Princess Jasmine had solidified his hold on all the words. He grimaced a little when Rob joined in. Sue hadn't been kidding, her boyfriend really did have a tin ear. But he was kind and welcoming, and had volunteered to round him and Rachel up for some grocery shopping further out from Disney, where the prices were better. While it was true that Mercedes would have done the same, Rob's insistence on helping them and giving detailed intel on how to save money this summer was endearing.

Towards the end of the song Sue slid into her seat with a smile, grabbing Rob's hand and giving a squeeze as she winked at him. Rachel headed up to join Blaine. This didn't surprise Kurt at all – the prospect of a duet with a talented partner was like crack to her, he mused, and she hadn't hid how excited she was about Blaine's invitation when they were getting ready. Kurt felt an insistent tapping on his shoulder and turned to look at Sue.

"Honey, you know you can trust me, right?" Her Georgia accent was even stronger when she was with her boyfriend, who shared a toned-down version of it.

Kurt squinted a little, not sure what she was getting at. But he knew that so far, he did: she'd been an excellent partner for their work today, and had proved that she could be simultaneously as snarky as Santana while still being as sweet as Brittany. "Um, sure. Yes, definitely."

"Go up there and take that duet away from your friend," she smiled at him. "Git on, _now_!" And she made shooing motions with her hands and giggled.

"What?" he hissed. "You don't know Rachel," he reasoned.

Sue's face turned stern and she got up a little to push him towards the raised piano bar area. "You said you trust me. Now _go_. It'll be all right, sugar."

Kurt got up and looked at Rob, mouthing, 'a little help here?' at him.

"Whatever she's got cooked up, y'all better go," he murmured.

Blaine had finished introducing Rachel and his attention went back to the keyboard and adjusting the microphone. Kurt picked his way through the tables between their table and the stage, and Rachel turned towards him and gave a huge, comically over the top wink and crept down off quietly, while she motioned for him to take her place.

"Are you sure?" he whispered to her.

"Go," she said, squeezing past him.

Kurt shrugged and did as she told him to, positioning himself behind Blaine.

"C'mon over," Blaine said, looking out at the crowd. "Plenty of room."

Kurt swallowed and looked back to their table, where Sue was now motioning for him to do what Blaine said.

He remembered Blaine from watching the Warblers in competitions. Velvet-voiced, charismatic, and sometimes kind of hilarious on stage, with his adorkable mannerisms. He'd always assumed the boy was straight, and after the debacle of crushing on Finn he'd lost his taste for chasing straight boys. Late in their shift, however, Sue had told him that Blaine was not only a dear friend (though she did tend to describe an awful lot of people in those terms), but was one of the few gay Disney Princes who didn't seem interested in getting lots of action. She'd sighed, admitting to him that Blaine had told her he was here to work, and that he was a true romantic, so therefore avoided the partyers and the players. She was certain he was single, she had told him, and only revealed this much (telling him too that Blaine was very private about his personal life) after learning more about Kurt himself.

Rachel hadn't said it explicitly, but now he could see it – she wasn't only excited about going out to a piano bar restaurant on open mic night for its own sake. He sought her eyes out as she turned her chair around to watch, and she gave him a tiny nod and a genuine smile. He looked down at Blaine, and touched his shoulder before speaking to him.

"I'd love to join you," he said quietly.

Blaine grinned at him, his eyes sparkling and catching the light. "Everyone, we have a special treat here – let me introduce to you Kurt Hummel. Maybe Rachel can come back and join us on the next set." The audience clapped politely as Kurt scooted next to him on the piano bench.

"I'm going to stick with my song selection," Blaine said quietly to Kurt, playing the opening bars of A Whole New World. "If that's okay with you."

"I seem to remember you singing a lot of Katy Perry back in the day," Kurt smirked at him. "I prefer Gaga, myself, but I do like this song."

Blaine nodded and started them off.

_ I can show you the world_

_ Shining, shimmering, splendid_

_ Tell me, princess, now when did you last let your heart decide?_

Kurt nudged him, and sang the next verse.

_ I can open your eyes_

_ Take you wonder by wonder_

_ Over, sideways, and under_

_ On a magic carpet ride_

Blaine sang back at him

_ A whole new world_

_ A new fantastic point of view_

Kurt joined him, and harmonized perfectly. He noticed the crowd seemed to be loving it.

_ No one to tell us no_

_ Or where to go_

_ Or say we're only dreaming_

Blaine bobbed his head at him, motioning him to sing alone now.

_A whole new world_

_ A dazzling place I never knew_

Rachel smiled at Sue as she leaned forward to talk to her. "They're so cute together!" she squealed.

"I know it, sugar," Sue purred, smiling over at Rob. "Just look at them up there. It's like they were meant to sing together."

Rob nodded, agreeing with her. "I think you may have finally found a match for him, darlin'."

"They sound _so good_," Rachel beamed at them.

"Honey, Kurt tells me you're the second coming of Barbra Streisand. I'm looking forward to hearing you too, girl."

Rachel practically glowed on hearing this. "Thank you. Not just for that. I mean, I would have made such a fool of myself with Blaine -"

Sue sighed, smiling indulgently at the stage. "That's the thing. You wouldn't have, honey. He would have felt so bad for _you_, you'd have been tripping over yourself to forgive him. Silly boy isn't good at picking up clues. It's like he needs a floppy-eared blue dawg or somethin' to help him figure stuff out."

They all giggled at the Blue's Clues reference. "Maybe I do too," Rachel admitted. "I mean, I have two gay dads; you'd think my gaydar would be better than that."

"Well, Sue, you've accomplished your mission for Blaine this summer. Now you can just relax and rest on your laurels -"

"Hush," she commanded him. "I want to hear the rest of the song."

They clapped enthusiastically as the song ended, and the two men rejoined them at the table.

"You were wonderful – both of you!" Rachel said as she got up to hug Kurt.

"So were you – you practically forced me to take over your spot," Kurt grinned at her. Rachel noticed that Blaine's eyes didn't stray from Kurt's face, until he seemed to remember something and turned to her.

"I really do want to sing with you," he assured her. "As a matter of fact, I put us down for the next available slot, which is in about twenty minutes."

"Of course I'll be happy to oblige," Rachel smiled at him. "But I have to say, you two sound great together."

"I know!" Blaine gushed. "I mean, I can't wait to hear you in the rest of your range," he said to Kurt. "This might be a late night after all."

"I think I don't mind that," Kurt said modestly.

"Y'all are gonna have to be 'furs' tomorrow if you wear out your voices, just sayin'", Sue teased.

"It would be worth it," Blaine said, his eyes back on Kurt.

"You know, I think I need another trip to the ladies'." At the quizzical look Kurt shot her, she added, "What? I had a lot of iced tea with dinner!"

"You sure did, honey," Sue added. "And a gentleman doesn't question a lady's motives."

"I said nothing!" Rob protested, rolling his eyes. "You girls do whatever it is you do." He looked at the two singers, who were already deep in conversation beside him, and guessed that Sue had struck again. She was a tireless matchmaker, and for anyone she really cared about, and Blaine certainly counted in that admittedly large group, when they weren't busy planning their own future, she was busy trying to make futures for her friends. "I'm gonna go order something from the bar," he said to them, and he smiled when Blaine nodded politely and then went right back to listening to Kurt.

"I'm just gonna come right out and say it," Sue said to Rachel as they turned into the hallway to the bathrooms. "Some day _your_ prince will come, and I will personally make sure that happens."

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm quite ready for that," Rachel admitted, "but I do appreciate the thought. They do look adorable together, I must say."

"Honey, Kurt did tell me a little about you," Sue told her. "And I'm sorry for what happened. For both of you. He sounds like he was a special guy."

"The specialest," she said, a quiver in her voice.

"I don't doubt it." She bent down to give her a warm hug, then let go and smiled at her. "I want to see you keep your promise, though. We've got to hear you sing!"

"I can't pass up a chance to perform," Rachel said with a little bow. "The show must go on!"

* * *

"You were right, she's amazing. Even I can hear that!" Rob gushed at Kurt, as Rachel accepted the loud applause and Blaine bowed to her on stage.

"She really is," Kurt agreed. "I had to fight her for solos my entire high school career because of it."

"I think you give her a good run for the money," Sue said. "I mean, I definitely want to hear more of what you can do. Did you ever sing anything from The Boy From Oz?"

"Oh no, not musical theatre. We'll never get out of here," Rob pretended to pout.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I did. Not the Boy Next Door was my audition piece for NYADA."

"I'm getting beers," Rob announced to no one in particular. "And not driving."

"I think he'd get along good with my dad," Kurt snorted. "Does he watch football?"

"He does," Sue confirmed. "Though Blaine does too, come to think of it."

"A man of many surprises," Kurt breathed, watching him come back with Rachel.

"I won't give you any more spoilers," Sue teased. "Oh, and we can drive Rachel home, if you like."

**A/N: So, there you have it. I might consider this a complete story (and stop playing hooky from my long fic!), unless of course you'd like more of this. The songs are both from the Disney movie Alladin, One Jump Ahead and A Whole New World. Fun fact: Darren has sung A Whole New World with Lea Salonga (Jasmine's singing voice in the movie), which should be easy to find on youtube. As for the story, we all know they're soulmates, and apparently so did Kurt's Wendy, the sweet-talking Sue. I hope you've enjoyed this, and of course I'd love to hear from you any time. And yay, hiatus is over!**


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